See page 6 for more Each student page includes a short passage focusing on three of these essential comprehension skills Comprehension Skills At a Glance Use the information that follows to introduce the reading comprehension skills covered in this book Main Idea amp Details Understanding the main or key idea of a paragraph is crucial for a reader The main idea is what the paragraph is

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Comprehension Skills 40 Short Passages for Close Reading Grade 2 2012 by Linda Ward Beech Scholastic Teaching Resources The reproducible pages in this book may be reproduced for classroom use No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part or stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic photocopying recording or otherwise without written permission of the publisher For information regarding permission write to Scholastic Inc 557 Broadway New York NY 10012 The reading passages in this book were selected and adapted from the following titles in the series Reading Passages That Build Comprehension Compare Contrast Context Clues Fact Opinion Inference Main Idea Details and Predicting Scholastic 2005 Copyright 2005 by Linda Ward Beech Cover design by Jorge J Namerow Interior design by Jason Robinson Illustrations by Mike Gordon ISBN 978 0 545 46053 8 Text copyright 2012 by Linda Ward Beech Illustrations copyright 2012 by Scholastic Inc Published by Scholastic Inc All rights reserved Printed in the U S A 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 40 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 Contents Using This Book 4 Comprehension Skills At a Glance 4 Meeting the Common Core State Standards 6 Passages 1 Rob s Job 7 22 Marc Brown 28 2 A Gardener s Friend 8 23 Frogs and Toads 29 3 A Tale of Tails 9 24 News in the Past 30 4 A Mark on the Wall 10 25 From Canada to Mexico 31 5 Meet Mercury 11 26 Shape of a Plate 32Comprehension Skills 40 Short Passages for Close Reading Grade 2 2012 by Linda Ward Beech Scholastic Teaching Resources 6 Ellen s Saturday 12 27 Remembering Stories 33 7 School Zoo 13 28 Don s Flower 34 8 Birds and Turtles 14 29 Whales in Water 35 9 A Smart Fish 15 30 A Busy Cactus 36 10 Horse Helpers 16 31 Pumpkins in History 37 11 Kinds of Leaves 17 32 Corn Maze 38 12 Raisin Capital 18 33 Firehouse Dogs 39 13 Ship of the Desert 19 34 Pigs and Bears 40 14 Nest Soup 20 35 Cabin Cleanup 41 15 Using Plants 21 36 Staying Warm 41 16 Beatrix Potter 22 37 Dolphin Teamwork 43 17 Two Apples 23 38 On the Food Trail 44 18 Night Life 24 39 Thanksgiving Customs 45 19 Animals of the Arctic 25 40 Setting the Table 46 2 0 Slurp and Burp 26 21 Cara s Cat 27 Answers 47 Using This Book Reading comprehension in nonfiction involves numerous thinking skills Students require these skills to make sense of a text and 5 become successful readers This book offers practice in key skills Passage Name Date Read the paragraph Then answer the questions needed to meet the Common Core State Standards in Reading Meet Mercury Language Arts for grade two See page 6 for more Each student Can you name the planets in our solar system Mercury is one of them Like the other planets Mercury moves in a path around the Sun page includes a short passage focusing on three of these essential comprehension skills Mercury travels faster than the other planets It speeds along at about 107 000 miles an hour Mercury is the planet closest to the Sun Its days are very hot and its nights are very cold There is no water on Mercury Comprehension Skills At a GlanceComprehension Skills 40 Short Passages for Close Reading Grade 2 2012 by Linda Ward Beech Scholastic Teaching Resources 1 The main idea of the paragraph is A the lack of water on Mercury B the planets in the solar system C what the planet Mercury is like 2 A detail that tells more about the main idea is A the speed at which Mercury travels around the Sun Use the information that follows to introduce the reading B the names of the other planets in the solar system C how fast other planets in the solar system travel comprehension skills covered in this book 3 Write one way that Mercury differs from other planets Main Idea Details

11 1 Main Idea 2 Details 3 Compare Contrast a reader The main idea is what the paragraph is about The otherIn this paragraph students have to read parts of the paragraph help to explain more about this key idea the entire text and ask themselves Whatis this paragraph mainly about The main Sometimes the main idea is in the first sentence of a paragraph idea is supported by different factsabout Mercury The information that supports the main idea is usually referred to as the details Details help a reader gain a fuller understanding of a paragraph Passage 2 Name Date Read the paragraph Then answer the questions Context Clues A Gardener s Friend Using context means determining an unfamiliar word s meaning by studying the phrases sentences and overall text with which the What do ladybugs eat Their main food is a tiny insect called an aphid Most gardeners think of aphids as pests These insects cause harm to plants by sucking out their juices word appears Context clues help readers comprehend and enjoy a When people see ladybugs in their gardens however they are pleased text and also read more smoothly and efficiently 1 Which sentence tells what most likely happens next Comprehension Skills 40 Short Passages for Close Reading Grade 2 2012 by Linda Ward Beech Scholastic Teaching Resources A Gardeners will get rid of the ladybugs B The ladybugs will eat the aphids C The aphids will attack the ladybugs Compare Contrast Recognizing how events characters places and facts are alike 2 In this paragraph the word pests must mean A troublemakers B plants C helpers 3 How are ladybugs and aphids different and different helps a reader gain a richer understanding of a text Sometimes a reader can learn more about something by finding

out what it is not like than what it is like A comparison shows 1 Predict 2 Context Clues 3 Compare Contrast similarities while a contrast shows differences 8In this example other words in theparagraph provide a context forcomprehending the word pests 4 Passage 21 Name Date Read the paragraph Then answer the questions Cara s Cat Cara s cat didn t like to be left alone Cara never knew what Honey would do when Predict the family was out Sometimes the cat just slept But sometimes she was bad One day Cara found a big mess in the bathroom Good readers take time to think about a text One way they do this Honey had unrolled the toilet paper It was in shreds Bits of it were everywhere It took a long time to clean up Honey s mess is by thinking ahead to determine what may happen next or how an Comprehension Skills 40 Short Passages for Close Reading Grade 2 2012 by Linda Ward Beech Scholastic Teaching Resources 1 In this paragraph the word shreds must mean A rolls event will unfold Often information a reader has come across in the B pieces C squares text provides clues to what will happen next In many cases readers 2 You can predict that when she saw the mess Cara A hugged Honey also use what they already know when they make predictions B was mad at Honey C got a new cat 3 You can guess that Honey A didn t like Cara s family Inference B liked to have people around C wanted to please Cara Although most primary students don t know what an inference is many are most likely making inferences both in their daily lives 1 Context Clues 2 Predict 3 Inference 27 and when reading without being aware of it Students should The writer never says that the cat likes to have people around but information in understand that writers don t include every detail in their writing it the paragraph plus what readers already is up to readers to supply some information A reader makes a guess know helps make it a likely guess or inference by putting together what is in a text with what he or she already knows Inferring makes a significant difference in how much a reader gains from a text Passage 14Comprehension Skills 40 Short Passages for Close Reading Grade 2 2012 by Linda Ward Beech Scholastic Teaching Resources Name Date Read the paragraph Then answer the questions Fact Opinion Nest Soup Readers who can identify and differentiate between statements of Birds called swifts are popular in Thailand People there welcome the birds into their homes fact and opinion are better able to analyze and assess a text Students In one city the birds even live in a hotel The reason the birds are in such demand is their nests Bird s nest soup is a big treat should learn to recognize phrases such as I think and you should that in Thailand I don t think I would care for it Vegetable soup seems better to me signal opinions 1 Write fact or opinion next to each sentence Comprehension Skills 40 Short Passages for Close Reading Grade 2 2012 by Linda Ward Beech Scholastic Teaching Resources A Birds called swifts are popular in Thailand B I don t think I would care for it C In one city the birds even live in a hotel 2 In this paragraph the word popular means A disliked B useful C liked 3 Write another opinion from the paragraph

1 Fact Opinion 2 Context Clues 3 Fact Opinion 20 To appreciate this story the reader should understand that the writer has shared several opinions as well as some facts about the bird s nest soup Tips H Tell students to first read H The comprehension skills H Review the completed pages the passage and then answer targeted in the questions with students on a regular the questions Show them how accompanying each passage basis Encourage them to to fill in the circles for bubble are labeled at the bottom of explain their thinking for each test questions the page correct answer